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Archive for December 21st, 2010
Explosive secret: US extracts shale gas
Posted by BBC: Roger Harrabin on December 21st, 2010
BBC: As this winter's freezing weather puts great pressure on gas supplies, countries are using new technology to exploit existing energy reserves. The US is extracting gas from shale rock, cutting bills for consumers, and reducing the country's reliance on foreign suppliers. Roger Harrabin reports from Shreveport in Louisiana.
Fracking for Natural Gas Is No Longer Obscure
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 21st, 2010
Greenwire: Nearly 3 in 5 Americans -- 57 percent -- have at least some awareness of the once obscure drilling practice of hydraulic fracturing, according to a poll released today by the Civil Society Institute. The institute, a nonpartisan Massachusetts think tank that advocates solutions to climate change, found that those who have heard of the process often called "fracking" are concerned that the process is not well regulated. "Americans now understand that, especially with the allure of gas production...
Predicting the World’s Next Water Pollution Disaster
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 21st, 2010
National Geographic: This story is part of a special National Geographic News series on global water issues.
When an estimated 184 million gallons (697 million liters) of industrial waste spilled into Hungary’s Marcal River in early October, arsenic and mercury threatened to taint water supplies and degrade rivers, both at the site and for hundreds of miles downstream. In some ways, Hungary’s toxic mud disaster was a wake-up call, shining a spotlight on potential water pollution hotspots around the globe. ead more...
When An Environmental Accident Becomes A Crime
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 21st, 2010
National Public Radio: The U.S. Department of Justice is suing BP and other companies associated with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A criminal investigation is also underway. Many activists argue disasters like the BP spill are crimes. Others argue big fines in civil cases are more effective than jail time.
China’s GM debate goes public, surprising scientists
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 21st, 2010
SciDev.Net: A growing perception that the Chinese public is uneasy about genetically modified (GM) crops has led to a roundtable dialogue on GM crops between scientists and the general public.
Scientists who participated in the dialogue -- held on the sidelines of the Communication and Dialogue of Agribiotech Symposium at Huazhong Agricultural University in October -- said it was the first time they had been made aware of the extent of the public's fears.
Public opposition to GM crops has been growing...
Mo. Botanical Garden part of study of the Andes
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 21st, 2010
Associated Press: Scientists from the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis will take party in a study examining the effects of climate change on plants and animals in South America's Andes mountain range.
The goal is to provide Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru with information that can guide future decision-making, adaptation measures and conservation planning.
Botanical Garden associate curator Peter Jorgensen says this will be the first project of its kind in the Andes, where he says thousands of species...
Go-ahead on UN biodiversity panel
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 21st, 2010
BBC: The UN has given final approval for the establishment of an expert panel to advise governments on science and policy issues relating to biodiversity.
Endorsement came at the UN General Assembly in New York.
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) will assess evidence on the causes and effects of nature degradation, and policy options.
Details will be worked out during the first few months of next year.
The new organisation is roughly...
Global Rivers Release Huge Amounts of Potent Greenhouse Gas
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 21st, 2010
LiveScience: Rivers may be a significant source of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide, scientists now find.
Their calculation suggests that across the globe the waterways contribute three times the amount of nitrous oxide to the atmosphere as had been estimated by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations scientific body charged with reviewing climate change research.
They found that the amount of nitrous oxide produced in streams is related to human activities that release nitrogen...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Global Rivers Release Huge Amounts of Potent Greenhouse GasMonitoring of Canada oil sands impact flawed: panel
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 21st, 2010
Reuters: Canada said on Tuesday it will design a system to better monitor whether northern Alberta's huge oil sands projects are polluting waterways after an independent scientific panel found major flaws in the current monitoring system.
Environment Minister John Baird made the announcement after the panel reported "there was no evidence of science leadership to ensure that monitoring and research activities are planned and performed in a coordinated way."
Ottawa set up the scientific panel in September...
UN launches supreme science panel for biodiversity
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 21st, 2010
Agence France-Presse: The United Nations set the cornerstone Monday for an ultimate scientific authority on biodiversity to help protect ecosystems and stem the planet's dramatic loss of animal and plant life.
Modelled on the UN's climate change panel (IPCC), the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, or IPBES, will harness the expertise of thousands of scientists worldwide.
"The IPCC shows how crucial it is to have a coherent scientific view of something as complex as climate or biodiversity,"...